Australian Film Festival Hacked, Japan Next?

The drama over the Melbourne International Film Festival took another turn over the weekend.

After protests from the Chinese government and the withdrawal of the bulk of its Chinese films by directors who said they were upset about the festival’s planned inclusion of a film about exiled Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer, hackers and Internet users have gotten in on the action.

Over the weekend, computer hackers broke into the festival Web site and planted an image of a Chinese flag on its home page along with anti-Kadeer slogans, the Age reports. Meanwhile, festival director Richard Moore told the Age that the festival’s email inboxes were being bombarded with angry missives. He added that the attacks appeared to be coming from Chinese IP addresses.

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China blames Kadeer for fomenting ethnic tensions among China’s Uighurs and for orchestrating the July 5 protests in Urumqi that turned violent, leaving nearly 200 dead. Earlier this month, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Qin Gang, said that China is “firmly opposed to any foreign country providing her with a stage for her anti-China separatist activities.” Kadeer has denied any involvement in the protests and riots.

Kadeer is scheduled to appear at a festival screening of the documentary about her, titled “10 Conditions of Love,” in Melbourne on Aug. 8, and organizers have been stepping up security preparations as a result.

The next target of hackers, angry youth and government protestations may well be Japan. According to the AFP, Kadeer is planning to visit the country later this week, where she will meet with members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and promote the Uighur cause. China often takes offense at trips by its declared enemies of the state. Last year, after French president Nicolas Sarkozy announced plans to meet with the Dalai Lama, China abruptly postponed a scheduled EU summit (It was eventually held in May).

India recently denied a visa to Kadeer, a U.S. citizen, to avoid offending Beijing, the Indian Telegraph reports.
–Sky Canaves

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